Technology

New mobile prescription app to help patients stick with medication plan

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MobiDawa app developer James Odede shows how the application works. PHOTO | ANGELA OKETCH

Computer scientist James Odede has developed a mobile phone prescription software to help patients take the right medication at the right time.

The software called MobiDawa which is available on Google Play store helps patients to search for information about drugs, dosage and prescriptions.

It also has a reminder notification, improving patient’s adherence to drugs and outcomes.

Non-adherence to medications is currently estimated to cause about 50 per cent of all treatment failures, according to medics.

The practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices has emerged in recent years in Kenya and other developing countries as a means of providing greater access to larger segments of the population and improving the capacity of health systems in such countries.

MobiDawa joins a number of firms such as WelTel, mPedigree and the recently launched Hello Doctor which have partnered with Safaricom and Commercial Bank of Africa to offer medical consultations on their phones.

Mr Odede says he has been a victim of wrong drug dosage that almost cost him his life and drove him to come up with the app that can curb such disasters.

“I have suffered in the hands of quacks posing as medics and after completing my course last year, I decided to do something that would enable patients to get the right treatment and avoid what happened to me,” said the Maseno University graduate.

Mr Odede and MobiDawa co-founder Simeon Obwogo who is also a software developer came up with the handy tool that makes it easier to stick to strict medication orders, especially when taking multiple prescriptions.

According to Kisumu County Chief Officer of Health Ojwang Lusi, non-adherence means that patients take their mediation in the wrong way, in the wrong dose or in combination with an incompatible second drug.

Some patients do not know the importance of taking medications regularly.

“It will be a bit difficult for everyone to use the application more so the older people but if they can make use of it, it will address the issues of prescription and wrong dosage,” Dr Ojwang said.

How it works

A patient c an download the application Mobidawa from the google play store and search for the name of the drug he wants. The application contains names of top 100 drugs used in the country.

Users must enter their ages, weights, and gender, among other details, to know the dosage they would require. They will then be instructed on how to take the drug and what to avoid when under medication.

A feedback portal is also provided for patients to say whether they got well after taking their medicine, whether they experienced any complications or not and if they would use the drug again.

Patients can search for information about their medication in the drug database.

“Other than the dosage, the application also provides drug uses, side effects and precautions,” said Mr Odede during the East African Community Lake Victoria Basin Commission Secretariat Conference on Integrated Population, Health and Environment in Kisumu last month. The mobile phone application can be used on both smartphones and feature phones.

Developed four months ago, the app aims to serve as a guide for over-the-counter drugs so that patients can make informed decisions by themselves.

Users can also provide feedback to pharmaceutical companies on the side effects of the medicines for the companies to improve their service.

“Patients sometimes buy drugs over the counter but develop side effects, our application provides a platform to report on the side effects of such drugs,” he said.

They also work with companies in what he terms a business- to-business approach: “We target pharmaceutical companies, governments and insurance companies to pay for our services while making it free for the end users.

“We plan to charge them per patient feedback for surveys done via our app. Government institutions are also interested in the data and we shall include them,” said Mr Odede.

Patients can order and pay for the drugs through MobiDawa and wait for them to be delivered.

“We intend to use Orange Billing API to facilitate the payment process. This is also to ensure continuous supply of drugs for patients with terminal diseases and cannot easily access the medicine.”

The app developers also say they are in talks with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to verify and increase the content of the application.